VALLEY EARNINGS

Dataproducts' Profit for Period Drops 98%

Dataproducts, a Woodland Hills manufacturer of computer printers, said industrywide softness in the computer industry contributed to a 98% plunge in its fiscal first-quarter profit compared with a year earlier.

In the three months that ended June 24, Dataproducts' net income fell to $17,000 from $810,000 a year ago, while its revenue slipped 3% to $83.3 million from $85.5 million.

Although there are some signs of strength in selected areas of the U.S. computer printer market, Dataproducts might not see order rates equal to 1988 "until the last half of this fiscal year," Chairman Jack C. Davis said in a statement.

Dataproducts currently is exploring ways to boost the value of its stock following a New York investment firm's disclosure earlier this year that it was interested in buying the company. Davis said Dataproducts expects to make a decision about its plans in the near future.